Voices of the Doon Valley: Garhwali and Kumaoni Literature shine at Doon Book Festival, with the launch of 26 new titles

At the heart of the ongoing Doon Book Festival 2026, the National Book Trust, India (NBT) has unveiled a significant cultural initiative – the release of 13 books each in Garhwali and Kumaoni, marking a major step towards preserving and promoting Uttarakhand’s rich linguistic heritage.Held at the historic Parade Ground, the festival is slowly transforming Dehradun into a thriving literary hub, with over 300 book stalls by publishers from across India and a diverse range of sessions as well as daily learning activities for children. Yet, amid the scale and spectacle of the Doon Book Festival, it is this focused investment in regional languages that stands out as a defining highlight.The 26 titles in Garhwali and Kumaoni were released by Pushkar Singh Dhami, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand along with distinguished guests during the festival’s inauguration on April 4. The books are the outcome of a dedicated effort initiated by NBT, which brought together writers, translators and language experts from across Uttarakhand. Building on a specialised workshop held last year, the project involved curating and translating children’s literature and key literary works into Garhwali and Kumaoni. The two languages are vital to the cultural fabric of the state. The initiative not only expands access to quality reading material in mother tongues but also ensures that younger generations remain connected to their linguistic roots.The Garhwali titles released included Chauri-Chaura Jan Kranti ko Nayo Sabero, Nanna Haira Chakhula, Ummeedai Kiran, Gaira Sagara Ajooba, and Aadmi ar Chhail ar Hauri Kahani, among others. The Kumaoni titles launched included Maati Myar Deshe ki, Abhimaanai Haar, Badhanai Jaani Kaan, Khatu Shyamak Ansuni Kahani, and Gulaab ka Dagdu, among others.Aligned with the vision of the National Education Policy 2020, the books developed with the help of Uttarakhand’s writers and translators reflect NBT’s broader commitment to multilingual education and learning through the mother tongue. In a country where multilingualism is a lived reality within households, these books bridge the gap between languages spoken at home and those encountered in formal education. NBT’s books bridge this linguistic reality, offering children a way to connect what they speak at home with what they read at school. By offering stories across languages, including translations such as the Garhwali and Kumaoni titles released at the festival, these efforts nurture early literacy while fostering respect for India’s multilingual fabric.By bridging languages, such books are nurturing a generation that carries forward our country’s rich linguistic heritage with pride, one story at a time. Complementing the book releases is the dynamic Doon Lit Fest which began from April 5 and has emerged as a lively platform for dialogue and ideas. The Lit Fest brings together a diverse line-up of voices including Nitin Seth, Kulpreet Yadav, Akhilendra Mishra, Acharya Prashant, Shubhanshu Shukla and Satish Dua, among others. Their sessions delve into a wide spectrum of themes ranging from cinema and contemporary literature to leadership and courage in uniform, patriotism and revolutionary movements in India’s past, and evolving human-machine relationships.